Israeli flags and Hatikvah on the Temple Mount signal a new reality

Israeli flags and Hatikvah on the Temple Mount signal a new reality

Tamar Stein

A small group of Jewish worshippers stood near the Dome of the Rock on Sunday morning, unfurled seven Israeli flags, and sang Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem. The scene would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. For decades, even minor displays of Jewish national expression on the Temple Mount were met with immediate intervention by police. This time, the participants remained on the site, sang openly, and completed the demonstration without being removed.

The Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site, has witnessed a dramatic increase in Jewish visitors in recent years. The sight of Jews ascending the mount, praying quietly, bowing, and now publicly displaying Israeli flags reflects a significant shift in enforcement policies at the site.

The event took place shortly after the Temple Mount was reopened to Jewish visitors following a four-day closure for a Muslim holiday. Video footage circulating on social media showed approximately 10 Jewish worshippers carrying 7 Israeli flags near the Dome of the Rock before singing Hatikvah.

Those displaying the flags were not removed from the compound. According to participants and Temple Mount activists, enforcement authorities acted in accordance with policy changes implemented under National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Rabbi Elisha Wolfson, head of the Temple Mount Yeshiva, welcomed the development.

“It is a great joy to see the process of the return to Zion growing stronger, and to witness the many advances on the Temple Mount,” Rabbi Wolfson said. “There is no doubt that the minister is carrying out a genuine revolution.”

Following the reopening of the site, the Temple Mount Yeshiva published updated visiting hours and encouraged Jews who meet the requirements of ritual purity to ascend the mount.

The display quickly drew international criticism. Turkey condemned the incident, accusing Israel of undermining the status of the site. Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates issued similar statements, describing the raising of Israeli flags and the singing of the national anthem as violations of longstanding arrangements governing the compound.

Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ambassador Sufian Qudah called the event “an unacceptable provocation” and reiterated Amman’s position that the Islamic Waqf is the sole authority responsible for administering the site.

More...